Washing machine



y 1930- J.IL. COFFIELD 1,758,354

WASHING MACHINE Filed April 16, 1928 ATTORNEY WVENTOR'. JAMES L. (OI-FIELD Patented May 13, 1930 UNITED STATES JAMES L. OOI'IIELD, OI DAYTON, QHIO WASHING E Application filed April 18, 1928. Serial No. 270,216.

This invention relates to washing machines and more particularly to the agitator type of clothes washing machines.

One object of the inventionis to provide such a washing machine which will be simple in construction and eflicient in operation, and

which may be produced at a low cost.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a washing machine with an agitaoperation thereof the clothesbeing washed will have little or no tendency to enter the space between the agitator and the bottom of the tub; which will be of lightweight;

and which will not be injuriously affected by alkalies or other detergents used in the wash water.

- A further object of the invention is to provide such a washing machine with means for interrupting the driving connection between the motor and the agitator without the use of clutches or other movable parts on the shaft.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the mechanism is described in detail.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view, partly broken away, of a washing machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on theline 2 -2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view of a portion of one of the blades of the agitator.

I In these drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention but it .will be understood that this has been chosen for the purpose of illustration only and that the a paratus may take various forms without eparting from the spirit of the invention. In that particular embodiment here illustrated the washing machine comprises a main frame consisting. of upright members or standards 5 and upper and lower transverse members 6 and 7 rigidly secured to said standards. Rigidly mounted on the frame is a stationary tub 8, which is preferablycylin-v drical in form. A vertical shaft 9 is mounted for both rotator and axial movement in a bearing 11 carrie by the transverse member 7 of the frame. he upper portion of this shaft extends into a tubular member 13 tor so constructed and arranged that in the which is mounted on the transverse member 6, extends through the center of the bottom wall of the tub and is provided with means for forming a tight joint between the same and the bottom wall, as shown at 12. Preferably the tubular member 13 has near its upper end a bearing 10 for the upper portion of the shaft. 9. Mounted Within the tub and operatively connected with the shaft '9, and preferably supported thereby, is an agitator. o0 Heretofore agitators of the under driven type a have, for the most part at least, been formed of cast aluminum in order to secure a light weight agitator, but aluminum is injuriously aflecte'd by alkalies and other detergents 65 used in the wash water, which results in the formingof blisters on the surface of the agitator which leave the agitator with a rough surface. In order to secure a light weight agi tator which will not be injuriously affected by alkalies or detergents, used in'the wash 'water, I have provided an agitator of such *a character that it may be made of sheet metal, such as copper. As here shown, this agitator comprises a base 14:.which is circular in form and of an inverted dish shape. The upper surface of the base is flat and the outer circumferential portion thereof is bent downwardly to form a downwardly and outwardly curved flange 15, the lower edge of which so is rolled upon itself, as shown at 16, to provide a relatively large smooth edge portion which contacts with the clothes. This base may be formed from a flat disk of metal in any suitable manner, as by spinning or by the use of forming dies. The base is pro-' vided with a central-opening through which the tubular member 13 and shaft 9 extend and rigidly secured to the base about this openingand extendin u wardly therefrom is a tubular portion 1 w ich extends beyond the upper end of the inner tubular member, 13, and

as at its upper "end a non-circular socket 18 to receive a correspondingly shaped portion 19 on the shaft 9, thereby rigidly con- 05 necting the agitator to the shaft. If desired, a screw 20 may be threaded into the upper end of the shaft to retain the agitator thereon. The agitator is'provided with aplurality of vertically arranged blades or wings 21 9 which are here shown as substantially triangular in shape and the lower and inner edges of which are secured respectively to the base 14 and the tubular portion 17 of the agitator. The inclined outer edges of the blades extend from points near the top of the tubular portion 17 to the outer portion of the flat upper surface of the base, thus causing the lower horizontal edges of the blades to terminate adjacent to the upper edge of'the downwardly and outwardly curved flange 15, whereby these widest lowermost portions of the blades are spaced some distance above and inwardly from the lower outer edge of the base. The agitator is so arranged with relation to the shaft that it will be supported normally with the lower edge of the flange a short distance, usually about half an inch, above the bottom wall of the tub. An oscillatory movement is imparted to the agitator as hereinafter described and the blades will cause the clothes to move with the agitator and thuscarry the same back and forth through the water in the tub. Because of the fact that thelowest point of contact between the blades and the clothes is spaced some distance above and inwardly from the lower edge of the base, the inclined outer edges of the blades of the agitator have a tendency to lift the clothes from the bottom wall and to prevent the same from enterin the space between the lower edge of the ange of the base and the bottom wall of the tub, where they might otherwise become wedged in such a manner as to injure the clothes or interfere with the operation of the agitator. The lower portion of the agitator being spaced from the bottom wall of the tub permits the free passage of loose buttons or other solid matter beneath the edge of '.tl18 agitator toward the center of the tub.

I also prefer to bend or roll the inclined edges of the blades, as shown at 22, to provide a relatively large smooth edge to contact with the clothes.

Oscillatory movement maybe imparted to the agitator in any suitable manner but I have, in the present instance, provided a direct drive between the motor and theshaft 9. For this purpose I have rigidly secured to the shaft 9 a pinion 23 which meshes with a segmental gear 24 mounted on the lower frame member Z for oscillatory movement and having rigidly secured thereto a crank arm 25. This .crank arm is connected by a pitman 26 with a crank arm 27 rigidly secured to a shaft 28, which in turn has rigidly secured thereto a worm wheel 29 which meshes with a worm 30 on a shaft 31 directly con- .nected with an electric motor 32 mounted on the lower frame member 7. The arrangement is such that the motor shaft will cause the worm wheel 29 to rotate continuously in one direction and the pitman will impart oscillatory movement to the'segmental gear pinion and-shaft, which movement is imparted from the shaft to the agitator. A lever 33 is pivotally mounted between its ends on a bracket 34 depending from the upper transverse member 6 and is provided at its inner end with a pin 35 which extends into a grooved collar 36 rigidly secured to the shaft 9. A rod 37 is pivotally connected with the outer end of the lever 33 and extends upwardly alongside of the tub 8 and has its upper end bent outwardly and provided with a handle 39. By depressing the rod 37 the shaft and agitator may be moved upwardly a distance suflicient to move the pinion23 out of mesh with the gear 24, thus interrupting the connection between the agitator and the motor, while permitting the motor to continue in operation to drive the wringer, not here shown but which is oper-' anism. If desired, alatch, such as a notched plate, 40 may be secured to the frame to receive the laterally extending portion of the rod 37 and lock the same in its lowermost position.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the details thereof as various modifications may occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim .as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a clothes washing machine comprising a stationary tub, a shaft journaled in said tub and means for imparting oscillatory movement to said'shaft, an agitator arranged in said tub, connected with said shaft and having a plurality of blades, said blades having their lower portions of greater width than their upper portions and having. sloping straight outer edges adapted to raise the clothes away from the bottom of said tub when said agitator is in operation.

2. In a clothes washing machine comprising a stationary tub, a shaft journaled in said tub and means for imparting oscillatory movement to said shaft, an agitator arranged in said tub, comprising a base and a tubular portion extending upwardly about said shaft and connected therewith, and a plurality of blades secured to said base and said tubular member and having straight outer edges ex- 3 tub.

to said base and said tubular portion, and

having their outer edges extending in. straight lines from points near the top of said tubular portion to points near the outer edge of the flat upper surface of said base, whereby the outermost portions of said blades are spaced above and inwardly from the lower edge of said base, said shaft and said tubular portion having cooperating parts to support said agitator with the lower edge of said base in spaced relation to the bottom of said 4. In a clothes washing machine comprising a stationary tub, a shaftjournaled in said tub and means for imparting oscillatory movement to said shaft, an agitator arranged within said tub and comprising a base having a circumferential portion extending downwardly and outwardly from the upper surface thereof, a tubular portion extending upwardly from said base, and a plurality of blades secured to said base and said tubular portion and havin their lower portion of such 'a width that t ey will terminate adjacent to the inner edge of the downwardly and cular base having its outer circumferential portion bent to form an outwardly and downwardly extending flange, a central tubular portionrigidly secured to and extending upwardly from said base, and substantially triangular blades having their horizontal and vertical edges secured respectively to said base and said tubular portion, said horizontal edges terminating adjacent to the upper edge of said flange.

7. In a washing machine, an agitator formed of sheet metal and comprising a circular base having its outer circumferential portion bent to form an outwardly and downwardly extending flange, a central tubular portion rigidly secured to and extending up wardly from said base, and substantially triangular blades having their horizontal and vertical edges secured respectively to said base and said tubular portion, said horizontal edges terminatin adjacent to' the upper edge of said flange, an each of said blades having its inclined outer edge rolled upon itself.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature JAMES L.- GOFFIELD.

hereto.

outwardly extending portion of said base,

said shaft and said tubular portion having cooperating parts to. support said agitator with the lower outer edge of said downward- 1y extending portion in spaced relation to the bottom of said tub.

5. In a clothes washing machine comprising a stationary tub, a shaft journaled in said tub and means for imparting oscillatory movement to said shaft, an agitator arranged .within said tub and comprising a base having a circumferential, portion extending downwardly and outwardly from the upper surface thereof, a tubular portion extending upwardly from said base, and a plurality of blades secured to said base and said tubular portion and having their lower portions of such a width that they will terminate adjacent to the inner edge of the downwardly and outwardly extending portion of said base, said downwardly extending portion of said base having its lower edge turned upon itself to provide a relatively large contact surface, said shaft and said tubular portion having cooperating parts to support said agitator with the lower edge of said base spaced from the bottom of said tub.

6. In a washing machine, an agitator formed of sheetmetal and comprising acir- 

